


To the Moon, and Back

by Sniperette



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Confessions, Domestic Fluff, M/M, Post-Kerberos, and a spoonful of angst, pre-kerberos, soft sheith for the soul, the other paladins are briefly mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-23
Updated: 2017-09-23
Packaged: 2019-01-04 14:55:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12171123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sniperette/pseuds/Sniperette
Summary: "If I didn't save your sorry ass, then who would?" There was no malice, no bite to be found in the younger paladin's tone. Shiro tilted his head up, squinting at Keith’s smirking face in amusement."Well, I'd like to think that the other paladins would at least try, maybe even the Blade of Marmora if I'm lucky-"Keith cut him off with a sharp kiss, and grinned at the look of surprise on Shiro's face. Sliding off the sofa to sit beside his partner properly, he pressed himself close to older man's side."Trick question- the answer's still me, you numpty."Shiro laughed.





	To the Moon, and Back

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a song: To The Moon and Back, by Alice... something??? I'll look it up later idk D:
> 
> I love thinking about this song from Shiro's POV, because it goes so well with 'You are the Moon' by the Hush Sound from Keith's POV!

 

Shiro had grown used to shrugging off his peers' baffled looks when they saw him and Keith together.

They made quite an odd pair, at first. Keith was like a small gremlin, leaping at opponents twice his height without fear and relentlessly decking them in the face with his tiny fists of rage. Shiro was just about the optimal height for the aforementioned face-decking, which made him quite nervous from time to time. But Keith managed to keep a lid on his violent tendencies (for the most part) whilst in Shiro's presence.

Every so often, Shiro would pause in his daily tasks when he noticed that Keith was rapidly growing into the baggy shirts that he kept stealing from Shiro's wardrobe. He was still scrawny and his arms seemed lanky with what little muscle mass he'd earned from starting his training at the Garrison, but he was certainly no longer the smart-ass kid who pestered him and begged him to sneak him onto one of the rockets.

It had been easy enough to ignore at the Garrison, at first. Their schedules rarely lined up for the first few months, and Shiro focused more on catching up on tge rare occassion that they managed to grab a break together. It was only when the rumours had started that Shiro finally started to notice just how attractive his best friend had become.

He had denied and lied about his growing feelings for ages after that. When he continuously rejected date offers or made it clear that he wasn't in the mood for flirting with anyone, he found himself wilting away from the mere suggestion that he had any non-platonic feelings towards Keith. He laughs at it now, feeling stupid that so many others had figured him out before he had. God knows he had felt mortified at the time though.

Keith wasn't very... touchy-feely, despite what his rash impulses and busted knuckles implied. Shiro had been terrified that if he tried to approach Keith about a relationship, he'd overstep some unspoken boundary and Keith would withdraw, putting stiff and awkward distance between them. Shiro knew that he was privileged to be as close to Keith as he was and he treasured what they had.

But when Keith came to him one night at the Garrison, asking for something more, Shiro didn't hesitate in his answer, squeezing the young cadet against his chest in a relieved hug.

They both agreed to start slow,  and remain discreet about their relationship until Keith's graduation the following year. It wasn't that their relationship was against the rules, per say, but it would be frowned upon by Shiro's superiors if it were to become public knowledge. As much as they both hated it, neither wanted to be the reason that their partner missed out on an opportunity for academic success.

Such as the Kerberos Mission.

Before Shiro had left for that Cursed planet, Keith pulled him away from the crowd to a small break room dubbed 'personnel only'. They got a few funny looks from the small number of staff members who had already claimed the quiet room as their own, but they were otherwise left in peace.

"I- uh. I thi- no, I  _know_ that I'm going to miss you like hell while you're gone, Shiro. A-and I know that I'm not that good at, y'know... expressing myself very often, but I want to tell you that I love you. I really, really do- so I want you to promise me that you'll stay safe out there, spaceman."

Shiro remembered how he melted a little inside, overwhelmed by the raw emotion he could see in Keith’s eyes. He remembered pressing his hands to either side of Keith’s face, watching his eyes flicker closed as he leaned in to kiss his forehead, then the tip of his nose, and then finally, his lips. He pulled away, slowly, reluctantly, and waited until Keith had opened his eyes to watch him make a promise that he couldn't keep.

He refused to dwell on that now, though.

"Keith, I promise."

Keith had looked so doubtful and worried that Shiro took comfort in the quiet relief that briefly flashed across Keith’s face. They had time for one last promise to each other before Shiro set off on his ill-fated journey- that they'd continue on with their relationship as soon as Shiro returned. Keith cocked his head slightly to the side, a genuine smile tugging at his lips. 

"I'll love you to the Moon and back, Shiro," Keith laughed.

"And I'll love you to the Moon and back, Keith"

But Shiro knew that he loved him far, far more than any means of measurement could adequately describe.

* * *

 

It used to make him feel uncomfortable, just how much he loved Keith.

Now he's thankful that he no longer feels even a twinge of discomfort nor awkwardness as he uses one arm to pull Keith in for a chaste kiss against his temple. His nose is being tickled by soft, dark hair, but he feels content to lean against his lover's locks for as long as he'll allow. If he had tried this back on earth, Shiro would've had to dodge an elbow to the gut by now. Keith seems to be happy enough though, and Shiro suspects that it's because he finds Lance’s red-faced sputtering and confusion to be hilarious.

They agreed to be far more open about their relationship in public, and embraced their freedom to be as affectionate with each other as humanly possible, instead of stealing risky kisses during the few minutes they could spare between classes.

Pidge already 'had a fair idea' about it, but Shiro would bet that Matt had told them before Kerberos had even been scribbled into their calenders. Hunk, on the other hand, hadn't heard a thing about them being together back at the Garrison; but he put two and two together fairly quickly once he'd been living in close quarters with them on a space ship for a while. Lance seemed to be the only one who couldn't quite get his head wrapped around it.

"Wai-What THE FUCK? But Keith- I thought- he and  _Allura_ \- I thought _THEY_ were-"

Allura laughed so hard that you could see the cracks splintering in Lance’s ego halfway across the common room. Nunvil sprayed from Coran's mouth as he unsuccessfully tried to hold back a snort, hiding his tears of laughter behind the glass.

Even  _Keith_ barked out a laugh, his head snapping backwards out of surprise.

"You were serious about that Lance?"

"Well  _duh-_ but in my defense, no one denied it!"

Allura crossed the room to pat Lance sympathetically on the back. She couldn't stop the hiccup-y giggles from sneaking their way out past her lips, though.

"I can see where your confusion lies, Lance, but I can assure you that our relationship is purely platonic and professional. In another life, perhaps-"

Lance looked like he went through the five stages of grief when Allura said that, which only made them all crack up into hysterics again. The lanky teen pouted once he realised that he was the butt of their jokes, but his mood improved drastically when Hunk took pity on him, whispering to him that he didn't have to compete with Keith anymore for 'Allura's elusive affection'. After laughing at his expense, Allura didn't seem to mind indulging Lance- even though quite a few of the more earth-specific pick up lines got lost in translation.

Shiro felt at peace despite how chaotic their little family could be.

And when he looked over at Keith, only to find him watching him tiredly with a smile in his eyes and dimple in his cheek- well, he felt like he belonged.

* * *

 

"If I didn't save your sorry ass, then who would?" There was no malice, no bite to be found in the younger paladin's tone. Shiro tilted his head up, squinting at Keith’s smirking face in amusement.

"Well, I'd like to think that the other paladins would at least try, maybe even the Blade of Marmora if I'm lucky-"

Keith cut him off with a sharp kiss, and grinned at the look of surprise on Shiro's face. Sliding off the sofa to sit beside his partner properly, he pressed himself close to older man's side. "Trick question- the answer's still me, you numpty."

Shiro laughed.

Keith was as blunt as his knife was sharp, but Shiro loved him for it. He might not have appreciated it as much when Keith was frantically hauling him through the castle to the healing pods, shouting and swearing about how  _stupidly risky_ Shiro's half-baked rescue plan had been- but the snark was worth it to have Keith back in the castle, safe and sound.

Sure, he was almost caught too, but he'd spotted an earlier opportunity to break Keith out than originally planned, and he sure as hell wasn't going to let a chance like that slip by. Shiro feels like the universe has already stolen enough of his precious time from his hands. 

He's earned the right to be reckless for Keith- just like the way Keith is for him.

Shiro doesn't want Keith to know about the way the icy claws of terror scrape at the back of his throat, drowning the scream that tries -fails- to escape into the suffocating silence of his bedroom at night, when he wakes up convinced that this will be the time that he desperately seeks out nothing but a ghost in Keith’s room. He doesn't want Keith knowing that he has relived every one of his lover's close calls a thousand times each, or that his night terrors twist them from close calls to missed calls and it's all his fault.

But, when Keith's doubts and demons drag him through the dirt, Shiro will make dammed sure that Keith knows how  _proud_ he is. That Shiro was already impressed by the short brat with a thorn in his side and a few hundred bones to pick, all those years ago.

So Shiro stops Keith’s hand from tracing invisible patterns on his knees, and brings it up to his lips. The underlying look of fear that lurked in Keith's eyes before he sealed Shiro into the healing pods has dulled down to a brassy fatigue, but he can still see its remnants flicker at the edges of his expression. Shiro wants to kiss it away.

So he does.

And he tells him just how much he loves him.

" _Baby to the Moon and back,_

_I still love you more than that."_


End file.
